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MANITOWOC – Approximately 20 bicyclists took to the streets of Manitowoc to participate in a special ride to promote sharing the road.

The city’s Complete Streets Advisory Committee held the first-ever Share the Road Awareness Ride Wednesday, July 29. The event began and ended at the Time Out Sports Bar and Grill, and included an 11.5-mile ride through the city.

Not knowing how many would answer the call, event organizers Linda Larsen and Rhienna Gabriel said they were pleased with the turnout.

“I was really impressed with the turnout for it being our first event. I thought that was really good. I was also impressed that so many of them biked to the event rather than driving to it,” Larsen said.

Added Gabriel: “I thought we had a fantastic turnout. It was a great educational opportunity both for sharing the road with motor vehicles, and also to discuss with the other riders proper riding etiquette and what the bicycle laws are. So there was education both ways, which was very fun.”

Being able to promote sharing the road from both sides of the issue was an added bonus. During the ride, the organizers said they could tell motorists were taking care to share the road with the group, meaning the event achieved its goal.

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Approximately 20 bicyclists took to the streets of Manitowoc for the inaugural Share the Road Awareness Ride.(Photo: Marcus Nesemann/HTR Media)

“I believe that we did (achieve our goal) because we were a large enough group and enough of us were wearing bright clothing that we stood out,” Larsen said. “I noticed that there were a lot of motorists that made an effort to give us space. I definitely appreciated that. I bike enough that I see that a lot and I do appreciate that the majority of people in this area, in my experience, are polite and give bikes space and show respect. There are always some people that you can tell aren’t too happy with us being on the road, but they still let us do it and that’s what’s really important. We just all need to be safe.”

That includes the cyclists. Not only was the event an opportunity for motorists to learn about sharing the road, it also gave the bikers a chance to learn. State law allows bicyclists to ride two-by-two in a lane as long as it doesn’t impede traffic. Larsen said it’s up to each rider to make a determination about when it’s safe enough to ride in that manner.

“We did learn some things that we need to think about — is there a situation where we need to go single-file instead of riding two-by-two?” Larsen said. “We have the right to ride double, but there are times when there are concerns that it doesn’t allow enough room for the traffic flow. We don’t want to impede the flow of traffic, so there’s some subjectivity to that. At what point do we move back into a single-file line? When is it safe for us to ride double? These are things we, as riders, have to think about.”

Given the success of the first ride, the committee will begin discussions about whether to hold similar events in the future.

“I’d love to do more rides, but that’s something we’ll have to talk about as a committee,” Larsen said. “I think if we do more rides, that will help with awareness as well because we get a better chance of more visibility the more we’re out there. We need to reach everybody because it only takes one person who doesn’t know the rules or who gets angry because they don’t realize it’s our right to be out there, and then their behavior can become dangerous.”

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Approximately 20 bicyclists took to the streets of Manitowoc for the inaugural Share the Road Awareness Ride.(Photo: Marcus Nesemann/HTR Media)

Those interested are encouraged to attend committee meetings, held at 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Citizen Park Recreation Building. The committee works to advise the City Council on pedestrian and bicycle issues, including the creation of paths, lanes and facilities used to increase opportunities for people to travel on foot or bicycle.